Flood — Fremont, Wyoming

2017-06-04 to 2017-06-22 · near (riw)riverton Rgnl A, Fremont, Wyoming

Event narrative

Abnormally large snowpack melted across the mountains of western and central Wyoming and caused the Wind River to Flood. At the Gauge at Riverton, the river crested above 12 feet, a new record. Along the Riverton Irrigation Canal, the water got high enough to flow directly into the canal, threatening the city of Riverton with flooding. The canal had to be breached to prevent the flooding. As a result, many farmers along the canal were left without irrigation water into July. The repairs to the canal cost around an estimated $2 million dollars. In addition, there was extensive flooding of agricultural land along the Wind River to it's confluence with the Little Wind River.

Wider weather episode

The combination of a very wet and snowy winter and a rather cool and wet spring set the stage for a prolonged period of flooding along the Wind River. The weather warmed in June and snow melt began, raising the river above flood stage beginning around June 3rd and continuing through the 24th. The crest of 12.1 feet broke the record of 11.8 feet set back in 2011. High water forced the closure of Highway 26 between Kinnear and Crowhart on two seperate occasions for a few days, forcing travelers into a long detour. In addition, the flood waters heavily damaged the irrigation canal near Riverton. The canal was shut down for over two weeks, resulting in a loss of irrigation water for many farmers downstream. Some subdivisions near the damage were put on standby for evacuation due to possible failure. Many other lowlands near the River had flooding for many days, some surrounding homes.

View location on OpenStreetMap → (43.0334, -108.5237)

Source: NOAA Storm Events Database, event_id 701208. Narrative written by the NWS forecast office that issued the report.